Wasp battles lily leaf beetle

BOSTON, June 9 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers said they're having a hard time finding enough lilies in New England to test the ability of European wasps against lily leaf beetles.

The lily leaf beetle has cut such a deadly swath through lilies in New England since 1992 that most gardeners have stopped trying to grow them, The Boston Globe said Monday..

Researchers discovered a European wasp that is the natural enemy to the lily leaf beetle but there aren't enough lilies being grown anymore so scientists last weekend placed 45 potted beetle larvae-infested lilies in five Massachusetts homeowners' backyards.

"It's a bit different ... but it's been hard to get a good overall view of what's happening with the wasp -- we need beetle larvae to see them in," said Lisa Tewksbury, manager of the University of Rhode Island's Biological Control Laboratory told the newspaper.